NACOSTI Accredits Institutional Ethics Review Committee

Prof. Kahangi (centre) congratulates Dr. Ngure and the rest of the Committee members on the accreditation

The National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) has accredited JKUAT’s Institutional Ethics Review Committee (IERC), paving the way for the organ to operate and conduct ethics review for research protocols involving human subjects.

The 11 member Committee will consider and decide on ethical and scientific values of research proposals; while safeguarding the integrity, rights and safety of the participants in a research project.

Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research, Production and Extension, Prof. Esther Kahangi commended the Committee on the milestone and urged it to cut a niche for itself by observing high quality standards in the mandate area.

She added that many researchers in the country experienced delays and prohibitive costs in the process of getting their proposals reviewed by existing bodies; something that she challenged the team to transcend.

Dr. Kenneth Ngure who chairs the Committee said the accreditation will immensely facilitate and expedite research output by JKUAT community as well as other researchers in the country.

He urged staff and students in the mandate areas to be proactive and work with the Committee for guidance and relevant assistance.

The multidisciplinary Committee draws membership from academic, religious, and legal fields. A community representative also sits in the IERC.

JKUAT runs the College of Health Sciences where programmes such as medicine, public health, pharmacy, medical microbiology, nursing, and medical microbiology are offered.

The Committee’s activities are expected to increase research outputs in the above areas of specialization and more.